CHAPTER 4

 Gradually, as the years passed, things looked worse and worse for the wood. The heath spread farther and farther, until it reached the other end of the wood. The great trees died and toppled down as soon as the storm took a fair hold of them: then they lay and rotted and the heather grew over them. There were now only half a score of the oldest and strongest trees left; but they were altogether hollow and had quite thin tops.

 

"My time is over, I must die," said the wood.

 

"Well, I told you so beforehand," replied the heath.

 

But then the men and women began to grow very frightened at the way the heather was using the wood:

 

"Where am I to get timber¹ for my workshop?" cried the joiner.

 

"Where am I to get sticks to put under my pot?" screamed the goodwife.

 

"Where, oh where, are we to get fuel in the winter?" sighed the old man.

 

"Where am I to stroll² with my sweetheart in the spring?" asked the young one.

 

Then, when they had looked at the poor old trees for a bit, to see if there was anything to be done with them, they took their spades and mattocks and ran up the hills to where the heath began.

 

"You may as well save yourselves the trouble," said the heath. "I am not to be dug into."

 

"Alas³, no!" sighed the wood; but she was so weak now that no one could hear what she said.

 

But they did not mind about that. They hewed⁴ and hewed right down through the hard shell. Then they carted earth into the holes and manured it; and then they planted some small trees. They tended them and put their faith in them and screened them against the east wind as well as they could.

 

And, year after year, the small trees grew. They stood like light, green spots in the middle of the black heather; and, when this had gone on for some time, a little bird came and built a nest in one of them.

 

"Hurrah⁵!" shouted the men. "Now we've got a wood once more."

 

"No one can hold his own against men," said the heath. "The thing can't be helped. So we'll move on."

 

But of the old wood there still remained one tree, who had only one green twig⁶ in his top. Here a little bird settled and told of the new wood that was growing up on the hill yonder.

 

"Thank Heaven!" said the old wood. "What one can't do one's self one must leave to the children. If only they're good for something! They look so thin!"

 

"I daresay you were thin yourself once," said the bird.

 

The old wood said nothing to this, for at that very moment she was finished; and so, of course, my story is finished too.

1 timber   

n.木材，原木，大木料，栋木

参考例句：

• These trees need more time to grow into useful timber.这些树不够年头，还没成材呢。
• The timber is graded according to its thickness.木材按厚度分级。

2 stroll   

n.闲逛，漫步；v.闲逛，漫步

参考例句：

• We are ready to take a stroll in the village.我们准备到村里遛遛。
• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。

3 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

4 hewed   

v.（用斧、刀等）砍、劈( hew的过去式和过去分词 )；砍成；劈出；开辟

参考例句：

• He hewed a canoe out of a tree trunk. 他把一根树干凿成独木舟。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He hewed out an important position for himself in the company. 他在公司中为自己闯出了要职。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 hurrah   

int.好哇，万岁，乌拉

参考例句：

• We hurrah when we see the soldiers go by.我们看到士兵经过时向他们欢呼。
• The assistants raised a formidable hurrah.助手们发出了一片震天的欢呼声。

6 twig   

n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解

参考例句：

• He heard the sharp crack of a twig.他听到树枝清脆的断裂声。
• The sharp sound of a twig snapping scared the badger away.细枝突然折断的刺耳声把獾惊跑了。